How Much Longer Should the Lions Stick with Their Five-Time Pro Bowl Quarterback?
It was a disappointing 2025 season for the Detroit Lions, as they missed the playoffs and finished last in the NFC North. Detroit made the playoffs two years in a row before this season, raising expectations even higher for a deep playoff run. The team had their issues, suffering injuries against key players and a struggling offensive line that lost some of their starters in the offseason. Detroit felt the absence of former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who took the head coaching job for the Chicago Bears, and left the play-calling duties to John Morton, who was later fired after the season concluded. Now that the Super Bowl has concluded, it’s a brand-new opportunity for the Lions to get things fixed and find a way to make it back into the playoffs. There’s one key member of their team who does offer some questions as to how much longer he has left of solid production.
Quarterback Jared Goff will turn 32 years old later this year and has spent 10 years in the NFL. While he’s not necessarily nearing the end of his career, it’s certainly fair to question how much longer he has left to play at a high level. Despite the struggling year for the team as a whole, the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback was still able to throw for 4,564 yards, 34 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. This was his fourth straight season throwing for over 4,000 yards, and his third straight throwing for 30 touchdowns or more. He’s had some great receiving targets like wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who, since becoming a starter in the NFL, has had over 1,100 receiving yards each year. The team showed some weaknesses in 2025, but Goff was definitely not one of them. While the team should stick with their star quarterback for at least another two to three years, it wouldn’t hurt them to potentially consider drafting or signing a young quarterback who can develop behind Goff.
A great example of doing this right is when the Green Bay Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love, which at the time stunned the fans. Love sat behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers for two years and has now become arguably a top ten quarterback in the league. The art of letting quarterbacks develop behind veterans has started to become lost in the NFL, with many teams throwing their rookie quarterbacks into a starting role and more than likely failing. The Lions know they have the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback at least until 2028, which leaves them an opportunity to let someone else grow and learn from Goff. Ultimately, if there’s a decrease in his production in a few years, they can lean on having their backup take over the starting role and not have to waste a few years drafting and developing someone else. Detroit should absolutely stick with their quarterback for another few years, but consider letting someone watch from the bench and see what it takes to be a star quarterback in the league.
